Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Romans chapter 13 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Last week we began Paul’s fifth and last division of his letter to the Romans and this section deals with application. Paul has spent 11 chapters showing us all that God has given to us, all the blessings and starting in chapter 12 he calls for us to have a walk that is worthy of the high calling by which we have been called. This section dealing with application covers Romans chapter 12 through Romans 15:13.
The key to walking in Christ is given to us in Romans 12:1-2, where Paul tells us, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
You see, you are not going to be able to serve the body of Christ with the gifts that God has given to you without first giving your body as a living sacrifice unto God! You are not going to be able to love people unconditionally unless you first place your body on the altar of sacrifice as a living sacrifice unto God! Thus, first we submit, we give ourselves to God and then we walk! As we saw last time, chapter 12 dealt primarily with our function within the body of Christ, how we serve in the body of Christ.
Now as we move into Romans chapter 13 tonight we are going to see the believers function in society, how we are to behave in this world. And let me say this, for many, this is a very difficult chapter for them to apply to their lives, and yet, God calls us to obey, to apply these things to our lives. So with that said, let’s begin reading in Romans chapter 13, starting in verse 1, and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
I told you this is a difficult section. Paul is saying that we are to be subject to those in authority over us, even human government! Now with our current President in office, George Bush, it is a little easier to be subject to his authority, but were we subject to the authority of President Clinton when he was in office? Surely God can’t mean we would have to be subject to an ungodly man even if he is the President of the United States, can He? You bet He does for Paul says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities . . .” That includes you and me, every soul!
The reason is simple, God appoints people into governing positions, and sometimes it is for our good and sometimes for judgment! In Jeremiah 25:9 we are told, “‘behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says the LORD, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.’” Also, in Jeremiah 27:6-7 we are told, “And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son's son, until the time of his land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them.” God calls this pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar His servant for he is accomplishing the will of God, even though he thought he was doing as he pleased, he was in control. Thus, if you resist those in authority over you; you are disobeying God’s Word; you are resisting His will!
I had one person tell me that we are not to obey our government because when Paul said this he was speaking of the government of Rome, which was not as evil as our government! I know our government is bad, but not that bad, and even if it was, that is no reason to not be subject to those in authority over us. Keep in mind that Caesar Nero was in charge when Paul wrote this letter to the Romans and he was no friend of Christians. He would pour tar over them and light them on fire. He would sew them up in animal skins and release wild dogs to eat them alive! Thus, Paul is saying that like the people of his day were to be subject to those who are in authority over them, no matter how evil or wicked they might be, we must also be subject!
Newell puts this into perspective for us as he says: “Remember your Savior suffered under Pontius Pilate, one of the worst Roman governors Judea ever had; and Paul under Nero, the worst Roman Emperor. And neither our Lord nor His Apostle denied or reviled the ‘authority!’” You see, God has placed them as the legitimate authority and we must respect that position they are holding, we are subject to them!
It is as Paul said in I Timothy 2:1-4, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” In Titus 3:1-2 Paul tells us, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.”
And lastly, in I Peter 2:13-17 Peter tells us, “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men — as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” I am sorry, but this is not an option for us, we are to respect, honor, we are to be subject to those who are in authority over us.
This does not mean we have to agree with everything they say or do and if what they tell us goes against what God says in His Word, if they tell us to do something that is immoral, then we can disobey what the government says. Peter, after he and the boys were arrested for sharing their faith, sharing Jesus they were arrested by the religious leaders, they were confronted by the High Priest in Acts chapter 5 and we are told that he said, “‘Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!’ But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men.’” Acts 5:28-29.
In saying that, it is not a license to be disobedient to the government. Look at all the atrocities that Rome had perpetrated upon Christians, as I have said, all the injustice, and Paul’s’ focus was not to change the government, protest against the government, but to preach Christ crucified, the Gospel message!
I think far too often the church as become a social institution trying to right the wrongs of society when it is to be spreading the Gospel message. I do vote, I think it is important but I am not a political activist because neither the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Independent Party, will save us, only Jesus can! It is as Robert D. Culver writes:
Churchmen whose Christian activism has taken mainly to placarding, marching, protesting, and shouting might well observe the author of these verses [Rom 13:1-7] and then they might observe him first at prayer, then in counsel with friends, and, after that, preaching in the homes and marketplaces. When Paul came to be heard by the mighty, it was to defend his action as a preacher (albeit in the streets) of [the] way to heaven.
- Robert D. Culver, Toward a Biblical View of Civil Government, p. 262
This is hard because our flesh gets in the way but remember, our lives are being transformed into the image of God. Thus, be a model citizen, obey the law, don’t be rebellious or disobedient to the government. Live peaceably with all men so that as people see us they see the transforming power of God in our lives! As Paul said, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities . . .”
If there was no human government, you know what we would have – anarchy! You see, until Jesus Christ returns to set up His government, until He rules and reigns on this earth, we will have human government and thus, we are to be subject to it. And as Christians, we should be the best citizens, sadly, that is not always the case! Look at the scandals that have taken place over the years with prominent Christian leaders with money and sexual exploits, and-so-on. That my friends should not be the case.
The idea here is that Paul is speaking of the government’s right to execute capital punishment upon those that commit such crimes; it is a deterrent to others. In Genesis 9:5-6 the Lord tells Noah, “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.” Think about it, the state of Texas has no problem putting a person to death if they commit a crime worthy of that sentence. Thus, if you were a criminal would you commit your crime in the state of Texas or another state where they don’t have or push for the death penalty? That is obvious and today, we see crime that is rampant because there is no deterrent to it. A government that does not put forth justice will move to anarchy!
Robert Haldane puts it this way:
The institution of civil government is a dispensation of mercy, and its existence is so indispensable, that the moment it ceases under one form, it re-establishes itself in another. The world, ever since the fall, when the dominion of one part of the human race over another was immediately introduced (Gen 3:16), has been in such a state of corruption and depravity, that without the powerful obstacle presented by civil government to the selfish and malignant passions of men, it would be better to live among the beasts of the forest than in human society. As soon as its restraints are removed, man shows himself in his real character. When there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes, we see in the last three chapters of the Book of Judges what were the dreadful consequences.
- Robert Haldane, An Exposition of Romans, p. 581
The result of a society were popular opinion rules and God is no longer on the throne, like we are seeing in this nation today, is given to us by Robert Culver as he says:
Where theistic religion grows weak, [the concept of justice] will weaken. Crimes then are defined as antisocial activity, which in turn is then merely what the majority says it is. Then punishments seem to be the result of the majorities ganging up on the minority. This in turn seems inconsistent with democratic feelings. The result is a decline in uniform application of penalties for crime, resultant miscarriage of justice, trampling on the rights of law-abiding people, together with an increase in what ought to be called crime.
- Robert Culver, Toward a Biblical View of Civil Government, pp. 78-79
Paul’s point is simple, we are not only to obey the government for fear of punishment but because it is the right thing to do. When you are driving down the Interstate going 80 miles per hour, as you pass by the police car do you slow down out of fear or because it is the right thing to do? Let’s be honest, we do it out of fear, but that truly should not be the case, the reason we do it, we should obey the law for conscience sake. And, in doing so, we honor God and we show respect to those God has placed in authority over us, such as police officers!
Today many have a hard time paying taxes because our taxes support so many ungodly things, but Paul tells us that we are to pay taxes for the taxes are also used to help restrain evil and to keep the government going so the society doesn’t deteriorate into anarchy!
Now for those who still struggle with paying taxes, and I think we all do, especially this time of year, let’s go to the authority, to Jesus and see what He has to say in Matthew 22:15-21. Here Jesus has an encounter with a Herodian, who was working together with the Pharisees to catch Jesus, and we are told, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?’ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar's.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.’”
Jesus makes a very powerful point, yes we are to pay our taxes and we are to give to God that which is His. You are to pay your local taxes, your state taxes, and your federal taxes and in doing so you are honoring God. That does not mean I agree on how my taxes are being spent, that is not the issue, I give out of obedience.
In regards to this section, listen to what Justin Martyr, a second-century theologian and church father said as he wrote to the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, “Everywhere we [Christians], more readily than all men, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you the taxes both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by [Jesus]. . . . Whence to God alone we render worship, but in other things we gladly serve you, acknowledging you as kings and rulers of men, and praying that with your kingly power you be found to possess also sound judgment.”
Some read into this that we are never to take out a loan, we are never to be in debt, owe money to anyone, but that is not what Paul is saying here. First of all Jesus said in Matthew 5:42, “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.” Jesus permitted borrowing. What we see today is an abuse of what God has permitted; people are in debt up to their eyeballs! You are not to borrow so much money that you can’t pay it back, that is wrong and it is dangerous as Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.” Don’t be in bondage to debt, be careful, be good stewards of what God has entrusted to you.
Here Paul is speaking of a debt we are to carry and that is love. An early church father, Origen said: “The debt of love remains with us permanently and never leaves us. This is a debt which we pay every day and forever owe.” The thing is as we submit to the Lord He will fill us with His love and we will have the resources then to give out that love abundantly, unconditionally, just as the Lord has given to us!
Obviously before you can extend the AGAPE love of God to others, you must “ . . . love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And then and only then can you “. . . love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:38-39. This kind of love is not self-centered but it is others-centered! It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” That is not a love that is born out of the flesh but out of the spirit and then is manifested in our lives!
Of this love John MacArthur tells us:
I have heard a beautiful analogy from the field of music that helps understand the greatness and completeness of love. The musical scale has only seven basic notes, which many children can learn in an hour or less. Yet great composers, such as Handel and Beethoven, could not exhaust those notes and their variations in their entire lifetime. Godly love is like that. It uses the basic, and sometimes seemingly insignificant, things in life to produce the greatest. Love controls temper and guides reason. It seeks to overcome the worst qualities and develop the best. Under the guidance and in the power of the Holy Spirit, it transforms redeemed men and women more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ. There is no greatness of character to which love cannot elevate a person. In fact, no greatness of character is possible without it, because love is great character.
- John MacArthur, Romans
Think about what Paul is saying here. He is teaching us that when we truly love our neighbor we will not commit adultery! When we truly love our neighbor we will respect their life! When we truly love our neighbor we will respect their property! When we truly love our neighbor we will not make up false accusations about them, we will respect their reputation! When we truly love our neighbor we will not be jealous of what they have but rejoice in what God has blessed them with. You see, love “. . . bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” How is your walk in love?
Paul is admonishing us to wake-up out of our spiritual sleep for the Lord’s return is drawing close. In other words, our time is limited, it is short, don’t waste it but use if for the Lord – walk accordingly. Paul, in Ephesians 5:14-16 tells us, “Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.’ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” It is hard to do anything productive when you sleep, thus, let’s awaken to what God has for us and walk as He leads us!
I like the way that Spurgeon put it in regards to casting off the works of darkness. He said: “The rags of sin must come off if we put on the robe of Christ. There must be a taking away of the love of sin, there must be a renouncing of the practices and habits of sin, or else a man cannot be a Christian. It will be an idle attempt to try and wear religion as a sort of celestial overall over the top of old sins.”
Here again the call is for application of the things of God, to walk decently, honestly, properly before God and our fellow man for the days are short! To do this we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, fill our lives with Him every moment of every day! How many of you would get up in the morning and go to work naked? Don’t tell me, too much information. Hopefully none of you and yet we go naked spiritually speaking and thus, the flesh is exposed instead of the spirit because we have not put on the Lord Jesus Christ! It is as Paul said in Colossians 3:8-10, “But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
Ray Stedman gives us this illustration in regards to putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. He said:
When I get up in the morning I put on my clothes, intending them to be part of me all day, to go where I go and do what I do. They cover me and make me presentable to others. That is the purpose of clothes. In the same way, the apostle is saying to us, “Put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning. Make him a part of your life that day. Intend that he go with you everywhere you go, and that he act through you in everything you do. Call upon his resources. Live your life IN CHRIST.”
- Ray Stedman
As I close this study tonight, listen to what Paul said in Titus 3:1-7, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
A life that is surrendered to God, placed on the altar of sacrifice as a living sacrifice unto God, will walk properly before God as his life continues to be transformed into the image of God and we will be a light to this world that is in darkness, a world without hope and without love we will give them hope and love in Christ! As Paul said in I Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” May the love of Christ be the motivating and active part of our lives as we reach out to others, for God’s love never fails!